CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There is growing discontent and concern in the Cavaliers' locker room that the root problems of their prolonged slump are not fixable.
The Cavs were beaten by the Golden State Warriors, 118-108, on Monday for their fourth consecutive loss. They've won just three games out of the last 12 and are four-tenths of a percentage point from being the NBA's worst defensive team.
Multiple marquee Cleveland players spoke without attribution to cleveland.com, ESPN and The Athletic after the loss to the Warriors, and league sources separately spoke to cleveland.com to describe a sullen and dour atmosphere on a team that a few short weeks ago was toasting in Napa, Calif.
"Rotations are awful. IT (Isaiah Thomas) is so much worse than Kyrie (Irving) defensively it's insane," said a league source. "There is not a great feeling anywhere. They need to limp into the All-Star break and get away from each other."
Concerns abound for a roster (the league's oldest) that appears ill-fit to match up in a seven-game series with the mighty Warriors. Golden State has beaten the Cavs in two of the last three Finals, in seven of the last eight games overall, and is again the NBA's best team at 36-9.
There are questions as to whether the pieces put in place by owner Dan Gilbert's new front-office team, headed by general manager Koby Altman, fit together -- regardless of opponent -- and whether the Cavs will make a trade by the Feb. 8 deadline. (A league source said that the team would certainly "try" to make a move.)
The Cavs' blockbuster deal from the summer, in which Irving was sent to rival Boston for Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and two draft picks, included the Brooklyn Nets' No. 1 pick in 2018. Gilbert and Altman are reluctant to move that pick, according to national reports and team sources.
Meanwhile, the Celtics lead third-place Cleveland by 7.5 games in the East.
LeBron James said last week he loves this team's "potential," and coach Tyronn Lue said before Monday's game that he felt this team would at some point be the best team in the East.
But, if doom has been sowed into the players' minds about their chances against Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Warriors in the Finals, then even getting there could be in doubt.
James has reached seven straight Finals, a record he wants to continue, but he's also well aware he's lost five times in his eight Finals trips.
"I talk to the leader, me and Bron stay in communication," Dwyane Wade said. "It's our job to try to help this group be better. A lot of people are going to look at him, see how his body language is and see how he is.
"I think right now it's important ... it's not about losing games, it's not about record, playoff seeding right now, it's just about playing the game right, it's about playing the game well, it's about playing the game together and hopefully it's all about growing from here."
In the meantime, Thomas continues to struggle to shoot as he works his way back from seven months off due to hip injuries.
Thomas was 8-of-21 shooting against the Warriors and finished with 19 points. Thomas again mentioned the Cavs "don't practice" -- an apparent shot at the organization considering the number of times he's mentioned it over the past several days. He's continually cited a lack of practice as the reason he's playing his way into shape.
Thomas put up the most shots of any Cavs player on Monday, and his teammates said it is his role to shoot. But at the same time, their patience is being tested as the losses mount and the rhythm they had at both ends of the court when they won 18 of 19 games is gone.
The Cavs were winning then with Thomas, Tristan Thompson, Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert all out with injuries. The more players they've added, the more difficult it's become.
"Everyone knows it's going to take a while to get into a comfortable groove here," Durant said, speaking about Thomas. "It's a new system, so I don't think this game was any indication of what's going to happen with this team down the line. They'll be much better than they are right now and we all know that."
Communication between the front office and players and coaches is different -- not as frequent -- as it was when former general manager David Griffin was here, multiple team sources have said.
Last week, after consecutive blowout losses to Minnesota and Toronto by a combined 62 points, cleveland.com reported that players were grumbling over James' holding onto the ball too long, and over Lue's lineups and player rotations.
"Like our effort tonight," James said after Monday's game. He scored 32 points with eight rebounds and six assists against the Warriors. "If we continue on that, going into our next few games, then I like where we are."